All books have some degree of need with regard to graphics and illustrations.
Some books require the use of photos inserted at various points. Some need technical illustrations. Children’s books are a whole world of their own with regards to artwork requirements.
And, of course, every book needs a cover design.
Whatever your artwork and illustration needs, Rack and Rune have the resources to help you out.
Artwork and Illustration
Illustrators
Whether for a children’s book, or textbook, the choice of illustrator can make a big difference. Good illustrations can take the edge off serious topics and make information more digestible.
At Rack and Rune, we like illustrations that also make you smile.
When choosing and approaching illustrators it’s important to respect the fact that illustrations take a great deal of time and skill to complete. While we are willing to discuss terms where there is a partial upfront payment and a percentage of ongoing royalties, we will not enter into arrangements that rely solely on royalties for payment. Having said that, illustrations can be surpringly affordable if you’re prepared to go with a simple style. Illustrations can cost anything from $100 each to several thousand each. It all depends on the complexity of what you’re after.
For a typical children’s picture book you can expect to be paying between $200 and $500 for each finished illustration.
Chrissy McYoung is an illustrative social worker with a keen love of dogs! She has been illustrating for the last five years, using her ipad to create highly detailed and emotive works. She has a keen passion in illustrating difficult concepts and topics.
Her first self published work was exploring the life of children in the foster care system.
Chrissy has a quirky style, which mixes her love of infographics, animals, educational resources and humour to create engaging and informative pieces.
Graham Davidson, founder of Rack and Rune, is a professional creative with 40 years’ experience. His background in animation has led to him developing a broad skill set across many disciplines.
He has taught drawing skills and animation at the Hunter TAFE Institute and currently runs weekly life drawing classes.
His first experience of book illustrations was producing technical drawings on an early model MAC in the early 1980s.
In more recent years he has illustrated self-help and picture books as well as having handled all the photography for a 200 page cookbook.
Cover Design
The old cliche may say that you should never judge a book by its cover, but the harsh reality is that the cover will often have a major impact on a consumer’s decision on whether or not to purchase a book.
Book covers don’t have to be expensive to be effective. Using stock photography or simple graphic elements can keep your book cover affordable.
A customised piece of artwork can be a great way to reflect the content of your book and, with picture books, illustrations from within the book can sometimes be reused for the basis of the cover.
It’s important to remember that a cover is more than just the front of the book. It wraps around the spine and the back of the book as well. Text and barcodes must be properly positioned and the layout of your back blurb can be crucial to the consumer making a purchase.
Having said that, how the front cover works on its own is all that matters when your book is displayed in online bookstores or when you’re producing an ebook or audiobook.
